Burundi, 2019 | What’s cropping?

September 2, 2019

Slight turbulence ahead. Things were a little bumpy going into the season this year, but we have become accustomed to that over the years. And the Burundis, taste, well… like stunning Burundis: amazing complex coffees and so characteristic. Definitely worth a few bumps and jumps. Low yields this year As every year our focus is …

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Can you feel it – a workshop on detecting mouthfeel

August 28, 2019

At Nordic Approach HQ in Oslo we regularly hold sensory training events for our staff. This month we ran a workshop to help the team detect mouth feel.  I learned this exercise from Ida at CoffeeMind. It’s great for training yourself to discern body and mouthfeel when cupping coffee, and best of all, it’s easy to …

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North America buying strategy in Colombia

August 21, 2019

In summer of 2018 I first visited producers that have been part of long-standing Nordic Approach quality-based premium programs – some for nearly a decade. The premium program Morten built years ago still benefits a growing number of producers and roasters (and other importers), so this year, 2019, I went to investigate how we could …

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Update from Juan David Cordona

August 20, 2019

David is a young producer in Antioquia, part of an informal group of innovative young farmers who are determined to prove the potential of their region goes beyond chocolate and caramel cups. His father thinks David’s ideas are too radical and their pair argued about the best way to manage the family farm. To solve …

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Rwanda 2019 | our renewed focus

August 12, 2019

Busy but beautiful times! … wait wait wait, it’s 2019 and August already? Are you sure?But… the summer of 2018 just ended?That pretty much sums up the feeling I had going into this summer, and I think all the staff over here in Oslo are with me. A bummer for me this year was that I’ve …

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Meet the producers of Intibuca

August 9, 2019

Seeing their name on a bag of roasted coffee is a privilege few farmers experience, and not always because their coffee isn’t good quality. In many parts of the coffee growing world there simply isn’t the infrastructure to maintain lot separation all the way to the port.  In Honduras, the producers suffer a lack of …

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Why transparency matters part 2: the real power of price information

August 7, 2019

Beyond simply publishing numbers, price transparency is important for understanding the supply chain, for valuing the different parts of that supply chain and most importantly for stimulating a greater responsibility to pay producers a price that not only makes their production sustainable but profitable and enriching.

Why transparency matters part 1: what I thought I knew about coffee

July 25, 2019

Nordic Approach intern Timna Eckschmidt charts her journey from consumer to coffee professional, and what she learned about the supply chain along the way.

Intibuca, Honduras: increasing profitability through micro-lot separation

July 19, 2019

Honduras presents as an exception in Central American coffee production, being the only country to increase volume, and at a rapid rate. Steadily holding its place within the top ten producing countries of arabica coffee, Honduras went from the fifth largest producer of arabica in the world, to the third in 2018, overtaking Ethiopia.  Yet …

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What does a green coffee buyer do – part 6: risk management

June 20, 2019

In this final post in the series “What does a green buyer do?” Alex explains the risks and benefits of buying on FOB terms.

World Of Coffee Berlin

June 6, 2019

We’re at booths V2 and V3 and Tables 1 & 3 in the Roasters’ Village. Drop by our stand for a chat, we’d love to see you. We’ll have beers from 4pm at our booth every day… 🙂 Plus, every day there will be a chance to meet some of the producers we work with: Schedule: …

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What does a green coffee buyer do, part 4: pre-contracting

May 29, 2019

There are many steps to making a purchase decision and flavour is just the beginning. The value chain has many checkpoints and several things can happen along the way. We’re dealing with a fresh moving product after all. It is crucial I understand what a sample represents, and how much of a commitment I must make to secure the lot.

Meet the Caballeros

If you’re coming to World of Coffee in Berlin next week, you can meet Marysabel Caballero and Moises Herrera at our booth on Thursday 1pm to 1.30 pm (we’re at at booths V2 and V3 in the Roasters’ Village). Not in Berlin? London folks will get a chance to meet them at our cupping at Ikawa …

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Rebuilding Rwanda

May 23, 2019

It has been 25 years since the Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi. We don’t pretend to understand the devastation of this event on the lives of people living in Rwanda or those who fled, but we can report on how coffee is helping people rebuild their lives.

What to pack for an origin trip

Going on your first origin trip and wondering what to pack? No worries, our seasoned Nordic Approach staff have you covered! 1) First of all, being able to fit everything into a hand-luggage sized bag is a big bonus. This means no lost luggage for starters. It’s handy to sort your packing into smaller bags …

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What does a green coffee buyer do – part 3: first selections

May 22, 2019

Ethiopian coffees are renowned for needing some time to open up. One of the key skills a coffee buyer must hone is cupping fresh coffees. Buyers need to be able to taste beyond the astringency and muted flavours, to the coffee it will become.

Part 3 in a series first published on our Tropiq blog: What does a green coffee buyer do?

What does a green coffee buyer do – part 2: reporting

May 16, 2019

Reporting from origin means taking copious notes to capture both the technical details, and the emotions that run high when meeting the people who produce these coffees.

Part 2 in a series first published on our Tropiq blog: What does a green coffee buyer do?

What does a green coffee buyer do – part 1: planning

May 13, 2019

Many coffee professionals hear a coffee buyer talk about travel to exotic countries, and dream of doing the same one day. It is a fantastic job and I feel so privileged to be able to do this work, but there are many misconceptions about the life of a green coffee buyer.

Part 1 in a series first published on our Tropiq blog: What does a green coffee buyer do?

Why are Kenyan prices so varied?

May 7, 2019

I have been asked several times why the prices of Kenyan coffees differ so much even though the lots might come from the same station. More specifically, I have been asked to explain why Karimikui AB #170 can be more expensive than Karimikui AA #062 seeing that AA is a higher grade and of supposedly …

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Tropiq currently sourcing in Ethiopia

May 3, 2019

Is your roastery buying volumes of 100 bags or more? Are you in a position to take on some additional financial risk? If you answered yes to these two questions you could save your business money by buying direct from origin. Our sister company, Tropiq, offers sourcing services for companies seeking high quality, traceable and …

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Rwanda: great potential for long-term producer/roaster relationships

April 30, 2019

If you want to create a direct relationship with a washing station or producer in Africa, you should consider Rwanda. “The country is so organised,” said Clay Parker of Rwanda Trading Company (RTC), “there is so much you can do if you want to work directly.” The organisation of the coffee sector in recent years …

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